Kevin Garnett: Evaluating His Season and Projecting Next Year

I recently watched a video on Nate Ebner, the New England Patriots sixth-round draft pick from Ohio State. In it, he shared a message his father left him with—a message that would motivate the entire Ohio State football team—"finish strong."

Whether or not KG paid attention to the sixth round of the NFL draft, which took place on April 28th, I don't know. What I do know, though, is that he embodied the message of Ebner's father the next day on April 29th, the first game of the playoffs, and every game following.

Throughout the second half of the season, and more importantly, the playoffs, Kevin Garnett made us forget about his terrible start to the season because really, how he started mattered very little considering how he finished.

During the playoffs he averaged a shade over 19 points and 10 rebounds a game. Several other relevant stats, such as the Celtics staggering plus/minus numbers with him on and off the floor, give weight to the argument that he was the most valuable player in the playoffs.

Other intangibles, including his true defensive impact as the anchor of the sweltering Celtics defense, would make an even more compelling case for KG as the MVP of the playoffs. 

The Celtics would ride or die by KG during the playoffs and they rode him to one win shy of the NBA Finals. 

Unfortunately, Garnett was not able to produce quite like he did earlier in the playoffs in the Celtics final two losses. Still, though, there is no way the Celtics would ever be in the position they were without KG.

His incredible turn-around fueled the Celtics turn-around in the second half of the season. 

Although many attribute his raised level of play to his move to the center position, it was something much simpler than that. 

At some point, he got tired of people calling him old. He knew that his basketball life was coming to an end and he wanted to go out on his own terms. 

He could retire or he could return for a couple more years. Either way, we will still always remember when he turned back the clock during the 2011-2012 playoffs to bring the Celtics on the brink of another NBA Finals appearance.

Grade: A+

What he must improve on for next year

For every other player so far I have included this section on what they must improve on for next year. But honestly, for KG, I got nothin'.

I thought a lot about what he could improve on at his age, but very little came to mind. His jump shot is great. Couple that with a still deadly fade-away jumper and you have an offensively potent 36-year-old. 

Defensively, he is still among the league's best and he gets it done on the boards as well. 

Really, any weakness in his game is a result of his age. He can't finish as well anymore because he can't jump like he used to.

The only thing that he could even possibly improve on at his age is his screen-setting. Throughout the playoffs, the refs got stingy with calling moving screens and KG got called more than anyone else. 

He's been setting screens like that for his entire career, though, so I don't expect him to make the big change now. 

Either way, Garnett's game will be okay for really, there is no part of his game he can enhance at this stage in his career.

Expectations for next year

There is speculation floating everywhere about where Kevin Garnett will be next year. He could be back in Celtic green. He could be playing for some other team. Or he could be sitting at his home, retired.

The most interesting choice of these three is him joining some other contender in the search of one more ring. However, this just isn't going to happen. 

Garnett is as loyal as they come. He stayed in Minnesota much longer than he should have and he might just do the same in Boston.

Of course, he could retire, but to me, this is less likely than him returning to the Celtics for he is also as competitive as they come. 

He is not ready to leave basketball just yet from a mental or a physical standpoint. We all saw how effective he can still be, and there is no doubt in my mind that he wants one more shot to win a championship, as a Celtic.

Expect to see him back next year and expect a similar type season. He will come out slowly and probably play limited minutes. But when it matters most, you better bet that KG will be at his best.

Check out Brandon Bass' season grade, what he needs to improve on and his expectations for next year here.